No arrests made in arson of under-construction Las Vegas apartment complex

No arrests were made in the arson of an under-construction Las Vegas apartment complex, and the still-open case is not actively being investigated more than five years after the massive fire.

Ely at Fort Apache, a 206-unit upscale rental property in the southwest valley that sold last month and has since been renamed, was still being built in early 2021 when a towering, wind-whipped inferno destroyed the project.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the fire was arson and caused roughly $35 million worth of losses.

The Clark County Fire Department confirmed that the fire was determined to be incendiary and met the definition of first-degree arson, and that while “multiple persons of interest were identified during the investigation, no arrests have yet been made in connection with this case,” county spokeswoman Christine Crews told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this month.

She also said that the “case is open but not being actively investigated.”

Overnight fire

The fire at the then-under-construction Ely at Fort Apache, 5055 S. Fort Apache Road, just south of Tropicana Avenue, started around 11:50 p.m. on Jan. 18, 2021.

It burned well into the following day and was battled by nearly 100 firefighters from different departments throughout the valley, the Review-Journal previously reported.

The fire forced the evacuation of adjacent neighborhoods and apartments.

All told, the inferno was so intense that firefighters didn’t get a look inside the partially built project until the blaze was over, and by that point, everything had all but turned to rubble, a Clark County fire captain previously recalled.

The developer of the complex, The Calida Group, has said that no one was injured in the blaze.

The ATF announced on Jan. 27, 2021, that the fire was arson.

In its news release, the ATF did not say where the fire began or how exactly investigators determined the blaze was deliberately set.

But the ATF said investigators processed the scene to find fire patterns, potential ignition sources and evidence. Forensic mappers captured panoramic photographs of the scene, and investigators also reviewed surveillance video, according to the release.

‘That could have been a real disaster’

Las Vegas-based Calida rebuilt the project and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in August 2022 to celebrate its debut and honor first-responders.

Commissioner Justin Jones, whose district includes the site, said at the event that he was grateful Clark County firefighters responded as quickly as possible to put the flames out and protect nearby communities.

“That could have been a real disaster for the folks that live behind the facility here,” Jones said.

Calida has said that the rental property in Las Vegas’ Spring Valley area features a resort-style pool area with private cabanas, as well as a game room, fitness center, and concierge services.

Last month, the developer sold the complex for $57.5 million to real estate firm UCR Group of Redlands, California.

The property is now called Viva Summerland.

Calida co-founder Eric Cohen estimated the complex was around 92 percent occupied at the time of sale, and he said that the entire project had to be rebuilt after the fire.